A ransomware site on the dark web has allowed criminals to extort hospitals, businesses and schools for years. By encrypting data or threatening to post data online, hackers have cost companies millions of pounds.
It’s called LockBit, and it was very successful until one day last month when hackers who logged on to the site found it had been hacked by authorities including the UK National Crime Agency and the FBI. These agencies announced they were in control of LockBit’s site, marking a new stage in their war on cybercrime.
Alex Hern explains to Nosheen Iqbal why ransomware has flourished in the past few years and why so many companies and people are at risk. One man who knows more than most about the inner workings of the criminals running ransomware sites is Jon DiMaggio, a security strategist who attempted to infiltrate the gangs by posing as a Russian hacker. It didn’t work, but it did lead to him forming a relationship – almost a friendship – with the boss of LockBit.
DiMaggio had a ringside seat when LockBit was taken over. He tells us how damaging it was for the gang; Alex Hern explains what the hacking of these hackers tells us about the ransomware industry and how it is likely to evolve in the future.
Original music by Ned Carter Miles
Photograph: Reuters
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